Romance and Doom
by TMNT-Raph-fan
Summary: Who knew the Thing had a niece and nephew? With the loss of their guardian, Kris and Kaitlyn ask Ben Grimm to be their new one. What will it be like, living with the Fantastic Four? And what happens when Kaitlyn meets four familiar turtles?
1. Prologue

_This story involves a few of my original characters_. _Kris: Kaitlyn's twin brother. skateboarder and prankster. Kaitlyn: Kris's twin sister. She's a rollerblading tomboy. And J.J.: Kaitlyn's best friend. He's very protective and smart. These characters are mine and I'd appreciate it if no one stole them. Thank-you._

* * *

**Prologue**

I'm starting at the beginning. No, I mean the very beginning. At the Hospital were our main characters are born. The father, Bert, waits outside the delivery room. The mother, Kim, is giving birth…. let's skip to the next scene. The babies are born and the father has joined his wife.

"They're beautiful." The father tells her. What father doesn't say that?

"What shall we name them?" Kim asks, "Do you have any ideas?"

"No." Bert pauses a moment, thinking, "How about…Kris and Kaitlyn?"

"Perfect." The mother looks at her newly born twins and smiles. We are now going to fast forward because the first four years are boring and have nothing to do with the actual story. So the twins are now four, for all those mathematically challenged people. Kaitlyn is roaming the house with her plush puppy, Spotty, pretending to be an explorer. Awe, how cute. Her long brown hair was tied into two pony tails and her orange shirt was partially covered by her dark blue overalls, which only had one strap done up. She ends up roaming near her parents room and hears them arguing. Curious, and with wide, emerald eyes, Kaitlyn walks up to her parents' door.

"Kim, what are we going to do? That freak scientist is out and no doubt looking for you."

"Bert, what can we do, other than lie low?"

"We can get the police."

"That won't stop him."

Kaitlyn heard every word, but didn't understand them at all. "Mom? Dad?" Kaitlyn speaks as she enters the room. "What you talk about?"

"Nothing dear. You don't need to concern yourself." Kim tells her daughter. "Are you exploring?"

"Uh-huh. Me and Spotty are looking for Lost City of Antis." Kaitlyn told her as she held up Spotty.

"You mean Atlantis? Where did you learn about that?" Her mother asked surprised.

"Pretty book."

"Alright then," Her mother said. "Let's go find Atlantis." So Kaitlyn and her mother go off exploring, leaving Bert to worry. He was always afraid the past would come back to haunt him. You see, while she was pregnant, a scientist who was in need of a human test subject had kidnapped Kim. The police found her and were able to put the bad guy in prison, but not before he injected her with some unknown chemical, that seemed to have no effect on her. And now he's escaped. Bert worries his family is once again in danger. After Kim and Bert have a restless night, Saturday finally comes. As the twins watch Saturday morning cartoons, their parents make breakfast. But, sadly, they are unable to enjoy it together. The mad scientist, who was mentioned earlier, breaks into the family's home, fires two shots, and ends the lives of Kim and Bert.


	2. A Loss in the Family

Chapter One

A Loss in the Family

Kaitlyn, now 16, opens her eyes. It's morning and she had that dream again, the one about her parents' death. But, like every other morning, Kaitlyn has to put the dream out of her head and get ready for school. She gets dressed and heads downstairs.

"Good morning, Grandpa." Kaitlyn says pleasantly. Ever since her parents died, Kaitlyn and Kris have stayed with their Grandfather.

"Good morning, Kaitlyn." Her grandfather replied.

"Is Kris up yet?" She asked.

"You know Kris." Her Grandfather told her.

"Of course. What was I thinking? He's always late." Kaitlyn grabbed a banana and happily munched away while the kitchen tv played an old comedy tape, which her Grandfather put on every morning. After breakfast, Kaitlyn went upstairs to brush her teeth, and came back down a few minutes later to say good-bye to her Grandfather and roller blade off to school. Kaitlyn enters the classroom a few minutes before the bell. She sits down and takes out her book while she waits for class to start. The bell rings and class begins. "Alright, students," The professor said, "Let's begin. Take out the sheet I gave you last class and…"

Just then Kris burst into the classroom. He paused for a second then moved slowly toward his seat. Kaitlyn stared at him in disbelief. "You are late again, _Kris_." The professor glowered at him as he spoke, "Go to the office, and bring your stuff with you. I have a feeling you'll be getting a suspension."

_Another one?_ Kaitlyn thought. _That will be the third one this month._

Kaitlyn sighed and continued with her work.

The final bell rang and Kaitlyn went home. "Hey Grandpa." She said happily.

"Hello Kaitlyn. It appears Kris got another suspension." He replied, not at all surprised.

"Figures. He's never on time." Kaitlyn put her bag down and grabbed a snack.

"You, on the other hand, never miss a deadline."

Kaitlyn spun around to see who was there. Kaitlyn smiled as J.J., her closest friend, came in. "Hey, J.J. What's up?" She said excitedly.

"Nothin' much." He replied, "Just workin' out and workin' hard."

"Don't you always." Kaitlyn went over to give him his daily hug. Suddenly they heard a loud thud. The two turned to see Kaitlyn's Grandfather on the floor passed out.

Kris was sitting in his room, listening to music and reading comics. Just then, a striking sound was heard from downstairs and Kris jumped right out of his bed. He got up and ran down the steps as quickly as possible. "What going on? What happened?" He asked desperately. He saw Kaitlyn trying to revive their Grandpa with CPR and he froze.

"Kris, call 911!" J.J. ordered.

Kris snapped out of his trance. "Wha-"

"911!" J.J. repeated. Kris dashes to the phone and makes the call. The following was all just a blur to the twins. They desperately hoped it was a nightmare. But, sadly, sitting in the Hospital, they realized it was all too real. Minutes that seemed like hours went by and the doctor finally came out. The first two words said it all. "I'm sorry." Kaitlyn burst into tears, screaming for her Grandfather, knowing he couldn't hear her.

It was getting dark now. The doctors were trying to find a relative that could take the twins. They were surprised at what name came up. The doctor came out to inform them. "How are you two doing?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Kris replied. The doctor paused.

"I just came out to tell you that we found your Uncle and he's coming to pick you up. He'll stop by your home so you can pick up your things." He told them.

Kaitlyn stared at him, then looked back and continued staring at the floor. The doctor waited a moment, then turned and went back into the room. The twins sat in silence.

The nurse came down the hall and stuck her head in the doctor's office. "Doctor, the twins' Uncle is here." She informed him.

"Ah yes, thank-you, nurse." The doctor got up and went out to where the twins sat. "Your Uncle is here. I'll walk you out." The twins stood and followed the Doctor to the door. When the twins exited, they stared in shock. "Thank-you Mr. Grimm, for agreeing to this." The Doctor said.

"Hey, when people are in need, I'm here to help." The ever-loving-blue-eyed-Thing A.K.A Ben Grimm stood there in front of the Fantasticar and smiled at the twins (applaud now). "So," He said, "You two are my niece and nephew, huh? Nice to meet ya. I'm yer Uncle Ben." He extended his hand. Kris and Kaitlyn couldn't believe how big it was. Kris looked horrified, but Kaitlyn took the offer and shook his hand. If she wasn't so upset, she would be ecstatic. She had always been a huge fan of The Thing from the Fantastic Four. After they retrieved the twins' belongings, they flew off towards the Baxter building and the twins' new life began.


	3. Mystery

Chapter Two: Mystery

_Dear Diary,_  
_It's been three months since Grandpa left us and my friends say I've finally gone back to my old self. I am laughing again. Living in the Baxter building is different and I still haven't gotten used living with the Fantastic Four. Johnny is always lighting things on fire. Reed is cool, but sometimes his late night experiments keep me up. My Uncle Ben is nice and just as awesome as when I watched him on the news years ago. Sue is pretty normal...compared to the other three. She's the one I'd go to to have woman-to-woman talks. Johnny and Kris have hit it off, which is really annoying because they are constantly making fun of Uncle Ben's appearance and pranking the both of us. But Uncle Ben and I have developed a really good friendship. We've made it a habit to watch sports games together. Well, time for breakfast. See ya. Kaitlyn Grimm._

Kaitlyn went into the kitchen and smelled the inviting scent of bacon and eggs. "Morin' Kat." Her Uncle Ben had given her that nickname not too long after she and her brother moved in. "Morning Uncle Ben. Making Bacon and eggs I see." Kaitlyn sat down as her Uncle placed a fresh plate in front of her. Kaitlyn took a bite. "Hmmm. You make the best bacon n' egg breakfast." She told her Uncle.  
"You tryin' to be a suck-up?" he asked in reply.  
"Maybe." Kaitlyn continued eating her breakfast.  
"I guess Kris is still in bed." Ben said.  
"Isn't he always?" Kaitlyn asked.  
"I've gotten used to the fact that he's always late." Ben laughed. Kaitlyn finished her breakfast and went off to brush her teeth. She came out two minutes later, gave her Uncle a kiss on the cheek and headed off to school.

The school day was almost over. Kaitlyn was working on the homework assignment while the other kids were watching the clock. The bell finally rang and Kaitlyn packed her stuff and headed towards her locker. "Hey Kaitlyn." J.J., Kaitlyn's closest friend, came up beside her.  
"Oh, Hey J.J. Got any homework?" Kaitlyn asked.  
"Nope." He replied, "Tonight I am homework free."  
"That's awesome. Wanna hang at the skate park later?"  
"Can't. Sadly my folks are goin' out, so I have to watch my little bro."  
"Oh, too bad. Well I hope you have a fun time anyway."  
"Video games all night. It will satisfy."  
Kaitlyn laughed. "Okay. See you tomorrow."  
"See ya." J.J. waved and walked in the opposite direction. Kaitlyn made a quick stop at her locker and headed home as well.

Kaitlyn entered the Baxter building lobby, said hi to the desk worker and headed upstairs. "Hey everybody. I'm h-" Kaitlyn's face was suddenly full of cream pie. She wiped it away from her eyes and saw Kris and Johnny laughing it up. "Oh my gawd! Did you see her face?" Kris asked.  
"Naw, it was covered with cream!" Johnny replied. They laughed harder. Kaitlyn dropped her bag. "KRIS! I'm gonna get you, you little terd!" Kaitlyn began chasing Kris, and, even though he was scared of his sister, Kris couldn't stop laughing. "Dude, run faster!" Johnny yelled from the sidelines, "She's gaining!" Kris is Kaitlyn's twin brother just in case you hadn't gathered that, but even though they're twins, they are exact opposites.  
"What is going on in here?" Susan Storm had just entered the room. She looked over at Kaitlyn, who was about to hit Kris straight in the nose. "Kaitlyn." That's all she said, and Kaitlyn knew what Susan meant. "But he hit me with a pie!" Kaitlyn was fuming. Susan just looked at her with that you're-better-than-that look. "Fine." Kaitlyn said, "You're lucky Kris." Kaitlyn pushed Kris to the ground and went to her room. Johnny walked over to Kris. "So, are we going to start planning for the next prank?" he asked.  
"You know it!" Kris answered and then gave Johnny a high five. Susan just shook her head at the boys and left the room.

Kaitlyn enjoyed being in her room. It was the place where she didn't have to hide her secret. Ever since she came to the Baxter Building, she's discovered that she has unique gifts. Some would call them super powers. One being super strength just like her uncle. The other is the ability to phase through solid objects. Everyday after school, she would go into her room and practice controlling these powers, while watching TV. Kaitlyn turned her TV on and got her weights to test how much she could lift today. She started off small with 100 pounds. After she did three sets of five lifts, she would up the weight by had only begun her third set when she heard something horrifying on the news. "In other news, the scientist responsible for the murder of Mr. And Mrs. Grimm is at large. He escaped from prison late last night and has left no visible trail for the police." Kaitlyn froze; horrified to think the man responsible for her parents' deaths is on the loose. Then again, this could be a good opportunity for revenge. "I could finally avenge my parents." Kaitlyn thought, "Bring peace to their souls." Kaitlyn put down her weights and went to her closet. She opened the closet door and located a secret button. A false wall slid open and revealed a masked outfit. It was a black mask that only revealed her nose and mouth. There was a thin, red ponytail of false hair coming out the back; giving the allusion that Kaitlyn herself had red hair. The mask was accompanied by a poppy red t-shirt with a black 'M' in the center, a black mid-thigh high skirt, dark, red boots that ended just bellow the knee, gray tights, black gloves and a brown belt featuring several pockets. While wearing this suit, Kaitlyn becomes Mystery, a new super hero that New York has yet to discover. Kaitlyn checked her clock: 9:00 PM. Her Uncle would check on her at 11:00 Pm. That gave her two hours. She got dressed and snuck out her window. Using her grappling hook, she swung to the next building.  
"Okay." Mystery thought, as she collected her grappler, "Mr. Mad Science probably went to his lab or home base, since it was never located by the police. All I need to do is find it. This should be fun." Mystery took out her mini-computer from her belt and hacked into the police system. Then she looked up all the info that was related to the mad scientist case. Apparently there were a lot of leads to the whereabouts of his secret base, but they all seemed to be dead ends. One report seemed interesting to Mystery. The police had found an abandoned warehouse that matched the evidence, but when the cops investigated it, they found nothing. Mystery had remembered something her Mom had said about when she was kidnapped. She remembered being taken on an elevator going down, except the warehouse in the police report didn't have an elevator. "Unless," Mystery thought, "There's a secret elevator to keep the lab hidden!" Mystery ran off in the direction of the warehouse.  
Mystery pushed the warehouse door open with little effort. She took a pair of glasses out of her belt, which Reed designed. She used the glasses to locate any kind of secret passage. With luck, she found the elevator and, instead of wasting time looking for the activation switch, Mystery just phased through the floor to the lower level. Again Mystery used the glasses, this time to locate the mad scientist. The lab, if it could even be called that, was a disaster. Practically all the beakers were broken, glass showered the floor and all the tables were turned on their side with missing legs. "Looking for someone?" Mystery gasped at the voice and spun around. The mad scientist was glowering at her. "What are you doing here? And how did you get in?" He asked. Mystery frowned.  
"Wouldn't you like to know." She replied, "I'm here to take you back to prison, but not before I get a little payback." The scientist looked confused.  
"1st of all," He said, "I am not going back to prison. And 2nd, what did I ever do to you for you to want 'payback'?"  
"Nice to see you forgot my mother!"  
"Oh, is that you? Of course I remember her, I just didn't recognize you."  
Mystery paused. "Have you been spying on me?"  
"Of course." The mad scientist said, "I needed to know the results of my experiment. Your brother seems unaffected, but you have received special talents. Fascinating. Too bad your parents aren't here to see this." Mystery finally snapped. She ran toward the scientist, filled with rage. She swung her foot, full force, at his side. To her surprise, her leg went right through him, causing Mystery to lose her balance and fall to the floor. "Ah!" Mystery blurted when she hit the ground. She stared at the scientist in confusion.  
"He he he he," He laughed, "Don't worry little girl, you're not losing control over your phasing power. I'm just a hologram. And you've just fallen into my trap!" The scientist's hologram faded away as he laughed manically. Fear swept across Mystery's face. "Trap?" She asked no one in particular. Suddenly, a section of the warehouse disappeared in a fiery explosion.


	4. Meet the Turtles

Chapter 3: Meet the Turtles

"It is unknown what the cause is, but it seems that an old warehouse building is the location of some form of explosion." Despite the topic, the reporter on the news radio station remained calm, "We are standing by to report to you any further events that may transpire here tonight. This is Aleya Adams reporting for the 99.9 station news."

Donatello, a teenage mutant ninja turtle, looked up from his lab. "Hm. This may be serious. Hey guys! Come listen to this." Donnie's three brothers stopped what they were doing and went over to see what got their bro's attention. "What is it, Don?" Leonardo asked.  
"There was an abandoned warehouse that just erupted." Don replied.  
"So?" Michelangelo asked, becoming bored.  
"Why would someone want to blow up an abandoned warehouse?" Don pointed out to his bros.  
"That is weird." Leo agreed, "We should check it out."  
"Ya." Raphael chimed in, "We might just find some action down there."  
"To the Battle Shell!" Mikey shouted heroically. Raph swatted him in the back of the head.  
"Knock it off, Mikey." He said, as they all ran to the elevator that would take them to their truck.

...

The turtles quickly arrived at the scene. Staying in the shadows, they got as close to the fiery building as possible. "Notice anything out of the ordinary, guys?" Leo asked.  
"No. We'll have to wait 'till the fire dies down, so we can get inside." Don suggested. Just then something caught Raph's eye. "Hey! I think something moved over there." He said. Expecting the unexpected, the brothers made their way over to where Raph saw movement. Don pulled out his night vision goggles to scan the area better. "Over there." He said, pointing to a silhouette in the darkness. They walked over and saw a masked girl sitting on the ground rubbing her leg. "Excuse me," Leo asked, "are you hurt?" The girl looked up and stared at the four of them. They were expecting her to scream, but she made no sound. "Maybe her voice box is broken." Mikey suggested.  
"Not funny, Mikey." Raph told him. The girl stood up, still making no sound. Don looked at her leg and saw that her tights and skin had been mildly burned. "Were you near the warehouse when it erupted?" He asked her.  
"I was inside." She told him. Don was surprised. He didn't actually expect her to answer.  
"What?" Leo blurted, "How could you have survived?"  
"I just did. Now, who are you?" She demanded.  
"Whoa. Someone's grumpy." Mikey stated. Raph pushed in front of Leo and pointed a finger at the girl. "It's none of your business who we are!" He said angrily. The girl grabbed Raph's finger and he felt a shooting pain. "Ah!" He yelped.  
"Hasn't anyone told you that pointing is rude?" She asked him, just as angry as he was. Raph yanked his finger away. "Of course," He said, "I just don't care to be nice t'ya."  
"Raph, Stop it!" Leo ordered. He turned to the girl. "Listen, we didn't come to fight. We just wanted to know if you were alright." He told her.  
"I'm fine." She replied, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I was in the middle of something." She began to walk away. "Wait! Maybe we can help you." Leo suggested. The girl turned to tell them 'no thanks', but she was interrupted. "Well, well, well." Said a voice. The turtles and the girl all turned to see a man in a lab coat. The girl glowered at him. "You do seem to attract strange company, don't you my dear." The man said, "First your Uncle and now these terrapin creatures."  
"Hey, I know him. He's the scientist who's wanted for murder." Don said.  
"Ya. The murder of my parents!" The girl yelled, and ran toward the scientist. She suddenly stopped right in front of him. "Wait," She said, "is this another hologram?"  
"You tell me." The scientist said as he pulled out a metal cane and prepared to swing it at the girl. She held up her arm defensively, preparing for the hit, but Leo came in and blocked the attack with his twin katana.  
"Don't you know it's impolite to hit a lady?" Don asked the scientist as he struck him behind the knee with his bo staff. The scientist dropped his cane and fell to the ground.  
"Best give up, dude." Mikey told him, "We're mean, green, fightin' machines!"  
The girl walked over to the scientist and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "You're going back to jail, mad scientist. But first," She said, as she drew back her fist, "This is for my parents." And with that, the girl punched him square in the jaw and knocked him out.  
"That's quite a punch." Raph growled.  
"So, they were your parents that he killed?" Leo asked the girl.  
"Huh? Oh." She said, remembering what she had shouted earlier.  
"That means you're Kaitlyn Grimm." Don stated.  
"When the mask is on, my name is Mystery." She told them. Just then Mikey came running up to her. "Dude!" He yelled. "I knew you were a super hero! Don't worry. I know the code. Your secret identity is safe with us."  
"Um, thanks. I guess." Mystery said, "So, what exactly are you guys?"  
"Well, we're teenage mutant ninja turtles." Don told her. Mystery stared for a moment, and then finally spoke, "Alright then. Ya gonna tell me your names?"  
"I'm Leonardo," He said, and motioned towards his brothers, "and these are my brothers, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael."  
"It's nice to meet you guys." Mystery told them, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to return this killer to the authorities. And if any of you tell my secret identity, I'll hunt you down and make you regret it."  
"We'll keep quiet about you, if you keep quiet about us." Leo suggested.  
"Deal." Mystery agreed. She swung the scientist over her shoulder and headed in the direction of the nearest police station.

...

It was a typical Saturday morning for Kaitlyn. Sitting on her couch, eating crunchy cereal and watching TV. The television was turned to a news station, which Kaitlyn was watching more of lately. But she kept thinking about those 'teenage mutant ninja turtles' she met last night. Questions like 'how did they come to be?', 'why were they there?' and 'how is it all possible?' kept moving through her mind. Suddenly, she was jerked from her thoughts as the news station began talking about last night's events.  
"Last night, at about 10:50 PM, a masked vigilante turned the escaped scientist back over to the authorities." The news reporter began, "The police tried to question her, but all she said was that she was late."  
"So, New York has a new super hero."  
Kaitlyn turned around to see Susan Storm watching the TV as well. "So," She asked, "What do you think?"  
Kaitlyn smiled. "I think Johnny's going to be furious." She answered.  
"Furious about what?" Reed asked as he came into the room, followed by the rest of the gang.  
"New York's new super hero." Susan informed them.  
"What!" Kris and Johnny yelled in unison. They both ran towards the television.  
"No!" Johnny screamed, "I could lose all my fans! My popularity!"  
"Hey, it's a girl." Kris pointed out as the watched footage of her on the news.  
"Really?" Johnny asked, "Well then, this could work to my advantage."  
"How?" Kris asked.  
"Possible superhero girlfriend."  
'Like that will ever happen.' Kaitlyn thought to herself with a disgusted look.

...

Don sat at his computer typing away, working on his latest invention. Raph was lifting weights, Mikey was reading comic books with Klunk by his side and Leo was watching the news about Mystery the night before. "What's up, Leo?" Mikey asked, "Ya don't trust her?"  
"Actually, I do." Leo replied.  
"Well, that's a first." Don said, walking over, Raph right behind him.  
"Think about it, Don. She lives with four of the world's greatest heroes and last night she hunted down a killer and turned him into the authorities. I think she's clean." Leo told them.  
"Ya, well I don't like her." Raph spoke up.  
"Why? Because she's stronger than you?" Don asked.  
"I bet Raphy's just hiding his true feelings of love for her." Mikey joked and started laughing. Raph smacked him the back of the head and growled.  
"Ow!" Mikey yelped.

...

Day had turned to night and Kaityln decided it was time to go out on patrol. She got dressed and Kaitlyn kept in mind the time she needed to be back. Mystery calmly ran across the rooftops, keeping an eye out for illegal activity, or, even, four giant turtles. She had a police scanner in her ear and was listening for any reports, but it was quiet, just like tonight. Mystery continued jumping rooftops, not really paying attention to what was in front of her. Suddenly, she was on the ground. "Whoa, what I hit?" She thought out loud.  
"Me." Said an angry voice. Mystery looked down and saw one of the turtles; the one called Raph. Mystery had bumped into him and was now on top of him in an awkward position. "Oh," Mystery said, trying to cover the fact that she was blushing, "It's you."  
Mystery got to her feet. "Ya, I ain't happy to see you either." Raph said.  
"Oh, hey Mystery." Don greeted her.  
"Ya, fancy runnin' into you here." Mikey said with a snicker.  
"Shut it, shell-fer-brains!" Raph growled.  
"So, what are you doing out?" Leo asked Mystery, ignoring his brothers.  
"Just drifting. Looking for criminals to fight." She replied, "I always enjoy a good fight."  
"Funny," Don said, "So does Raph."  
Raph growled, "What ya sayin' Donnie?"  
"That you and Misty could be more alike than you think." Mikey chimed. Just then Mystery smacked Mikey in the back of the head. Raph gave her a surprised look, but she didn't notice. "One," She told Mikey, "Don't call me Misty. And two, I doubt Raph and I share any likeliness."  
"I can name a few." Don told them.  
"What?" Mystery and Raph asked in unison.  
"Well," Don continued, "You both like to fight, you're both, at least, somewhat hotheaded, and ...you both hit Mikey in the same way."  
Mystery and Raph just stared at Don. "That doesn't mean anything!" They said after a moment.  
"Maybe you should just give each other a chance." Leo suggested.  
"Hmph." They huffed.  
"Heh. And they're both stubborn." Don added.  
"Whoa," Mikey said, "What's going on there?" He pointed to a building swarming with activity.  
"That's the Baxter building." Mystery told them, "And those are Doombots!"  
"Doombots?" Don asked, confused.  
"Duh. Doctor Doom sends them over all the time." Mikey said, Matter-of-factly.  
"Oh, well forgive me for not being up-to-date on the super villains." Don replied sarcastically.  
"Doctor Doom must be planning something." Mystery said, turning towards the turtles, "Wanna help me find out what?"  
"Definitely!" They said in unison.  
"All right hen. To castle Doom."


	5. Swapped

Chapter 4: Swapped

Mystery and the turtles arrived at Castle Doom and were searching for an entry point. "Here." Mystery said. "There's no security in this area."  
"There are no doors either." Mikey said, stating the obvious.  
"Who needs doors?" Mystery asked him with a grin, "Everybody hold hands." The turtles listened and Raph ended up nearest to Mystery. She glared at him.  
"What?" He asked her, in a rude tone. Mystery just sighed and grabbed his hand. They both turned away to hide their blushing cheeks.  
"Don't let go." She told them, and then phased through the wall.  
"Well that was an interesting feeling." Don said.  
"Always is." Mystery replied, "Now, to find Doom's master computer faster, we should split into two groups."  
"Great. Mike, Don and I will take the South side." Leo said "Wait? What!" Raph and Mystery said in unison as they spun around. But the other three were already gone. "Well," Mystery began, "It's too dangerous to go it alone, so looks like we're stuck together."  
"Looks like." Raph grumbled. Raph and Mystery headed toward the North side in search of Doom's Master computer. After a moment they came across Doom's lab.  
"C'mon," Mystery said, "We might find something in here." Doom's lab was filled with strange technology, and monitors covered the walls. "Hmmm." Mystery began, scanning the computer controls, "I may be able to hack into Doom's computer."  
"Whatever." Raph said, leaning up against a terminal. He didn't realize he had pushed a button, releasing two tiny Doombots. Once the bots were activated, they immediately began searching for targets and since Raph and Mystery were the only ones in the room, they were the only options. The bots were equipped with a bee-like stinger and filled with an unknown liquid. Following their programming, they stealthily stung the two teens in the back of the neck. The teens yelped and swatted the tiny bots. Suddenly, they felt a shooting pain travel through their spines. Clutching their heads, Raph and Mystery fell to the floor and passed out.

...

Mystery was the first to wake up. She heard Raph groan and ask what the time was. 'Funny.' She thought, 'That's what I was thinking.' She rubbed her aching head. "Raph?" She called out. Except, she didn't sound like herself. She sounded like Raph. Mystery looked up and saw her body lying across the room. She glanced at her hands but instead saw Raph's. She got to her feet and desperately searched for a reflective object. She looked into the blank computer screen and saw Raph staring back. She became very angry and walked over to her body, who she guessed was Raph. She hit him in the head to wake him up.  
"Ah! What was that for?" He asked, sounding like Mystery. He looked up and saw himself. "Mystery?" He asked, after a moment.  
"Ya." She answered. Raph looked down.  
"I'm in your body?" He yelled. Mystery quickly covered his mouth.  
"Shut up." She told him, "We don't want to alert anyone in the castle." She got up and headed back over to Doom's computer. "Pass me my memory stick. It's in my belt; 2nd pocket to the right." Mystery asked Raph. He found it and passed it to her. She quickly downloaded Doom's digital blueprints. "Got it." She said, "Now we have to find the others."  
"Use the shell cell." Raph told her, "Tell 'em to meet where we split up." Mystery found Raph's shell cell and repeated the instructions to Leo. She hung up and headed toward the meeting spot, with Raph beside her. They arrived within minutes.  
"Raph?" Leo asked, "What's wrong?"  
"Raph touched something he shouldn't have." Mystery told them.  
"You're referring to yourself in the third person, now?" Don asked.  
"No." She answered, placing her fingers on her temples, "I'm Mystery. Raph hit something that activated some mine-switch doohickey of Doom's."  
Leo, Don and Mike stared in shock. Mickey opened his mouth.  
"Not a word, Mickey. "Raph warned. Mickey began to snicker.  
"Is that really you, Raph?" Leo asked.  
"Unfortunately." Raph replied.  
"I'd say this is scientifically impossible," Don began, "But weirder things have happened." Just then, a shrieking sound was heard overhead, accompanied by flashing, red lights.  
"We need to go!" Mystery shouted over the alarm. The five ran towards the exit and managed to slip out unnoticed.

...

They made their way back to lair and Don went over to his lab. He gathered a few things into his bag. "I'm going to talk to Leatherhead about this." He said, "Maybe we can figure this out."  
"And what do we do in the meantime?" Raph asked, gesturing to Mystery.  
"Contact Mystery's family." Don suggested, "I expect she is believed to be at home, but, Mystery, they can't know about us."  
Mystery paused. "Okay." She said. "But I am not leaving Raph alone with my family. Maybe I can get help from a friend without involving you guys."  
"Ahem." Came a voice. Everyone turned to see Master Splinter, not looking pleased.  
"Uh oh." Mickey said under his breath.  
"Master Splinter, we can explain." Leo said.  
"I am listening, my son." Master Splinter replied.  
They explained to their sensei what had happened and waited for what he had to say. He sat and thought a moment. "This is quite strange." He said, "I'm sure, Donatello, you can fix this, but I don't like the fact that a young woman may have to stay in the same home as my four sons."  
"Maybe April can help." Leo suggested.  
"April O'Neill?" Mystery asked.  
"Yea." Leo replied, "You know her?"  
"She baby-sat me when I was young. Maybe I can get her to cal my Uncle, tell 'im I'm staying at her house for the weekend."  
"Well, we can give it a shot."

...

Moments later, April walked in. "Hey," She said, "What's going on?" She saw Raph sitting at the table, he had take off the Mystery mask. "Kaitlyn?" April asked, "You're Mystery? And you know the turtles?"  
"Yes." Raph replied, "'Cept I'm not Kaitlyn."  
April was confused. They explained the situation and told her how they needed her help. April pointed to Raph's body. "So, you're Kaitlyn?" She asked, "And you're Raph?" Now pointing at Kaitlyn's body.  
"Sadly." Kaitlyn said.  
"Well," April said, "I guess I've seen weirder. So, what's the plan?"  
"April, if you call my Uncle and convince him to let me stay at your place for a movie marathon, I can sneak Raph into the Baxter building so my Uncle doesn't know I'm missing. It's Friday, so it shouldn't be hard to talk him into it." Kaitlyn suggested.  
"That seems reasonable." Don said.  
"April," Splinter said, "I would also like Raphael, as well as Kaitlyn, to stay at your house. Having a young woman in the same home as my four sons does not sit right with me."  
"Right." April agreed, "Both female mind and body. That's fine with me."  
Kaitlyn sighed, "Alright, let's go." She said, grabbing Raph and pulling him towards the door," I'll let you know when to make the call."

...

A few roof tops later, Kaitlyn and Raph arrived at the building beside the Baxter. "I don't think you can handle my telekinesis yet," Kaitlyn said, "so use my grapple. Throw it towards the fire escape and try not to break any windows."  
"I've used a grapple before!" Raph snapped back. He took her grapple and threw it towards the fire escape. It hooked and tightened. Kaitlyn grabbed on and they both swung over. "Stay as quiet as possible." Kaitlyn told Raph, as they snuck into the room.  
"What part of 'I'm a ninja' don't you get?" He huffed. Kaitlyn stopped and stared at Raph. "What?" He asked.  
"My Uncle can't see you in that outfit." She told him. A panicked look came across Raph's face.  
"Just relax!" Kaitlyn said, "Give me my mask, boots, gloves and belt."  
Raph did so and Kaitlyn placed them in her secret closet. She went over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans. "Put these on." Kaitlyn told Raph, "Remove the skirt after." Raph said nothing, but took the pants and did what Kaitlyn said. "Now, put this sweater on to cover the shirt." Kaitlyn went back over to her dresser to retrieve two elastics.  
"What are those for?" Raph asked as he zipped up the sweater.  
"My hair is always in two pigtails." She told him, "Now hold still."  
"Wait, hey!" He protested.  
"Shhh. Not so loud... there." She said.  
Raph looked in the mirror. His hair was now in two small pigtails that stuck out beneath his ears.  
"This is so embarrassing." He muttered under his breath.  
"Tell me about it." Kaitlyn replied, placing a backwards cap on his head, "Now sit on my bed and pretend you were reading." She gave him a book and hid in her closet. "We're ready." Kaitlyn said into Raph's shell cell.

...

Raph knocked on April's door. "Hey Raph." She said, answering the door, "Weren't you wearing a skirt before?"  
"Don't ask." He groaned. He walked in and saw Kaitlyn watching something on TV. He went over and sat down at the other end of the couch. "Wrestling?" He asked, noticing that's what was on.  
"Yea," Kaitlyn responded, "And don't even try to change the channel."  
"You kidding?" Raph asked and turned to April, "Any word from Don on how to fix this?"  
"No. He's with Leatherhead discussing it." April told him.  
April, can I use your computer for a sec?" Kaitlyn asked.  
"Sure," April answered, "why?"  
"I got some info from Doom's Computer. If I find anything useful, I'll send it to Don. Kaitlyn said as she left the room.  
She started up the computer and pulled out the data stick. She looked through all the blueprints and came across something about mind-switching chemicals. She took out Raph's shell cell and called Don.  
"Hey Raph." He said when he picked up.  
"It's Kaitlyn." She informed him.  
"Oh, right. Sorry." He apologized, "What's up?"  
"I got some info from Doom's computer about mind-switching. If you give me your e-mail, I'll send it to you."  
"Awesome! It's ."  
"Nice. Okay, sending now."  
"Got it. Thanks Kaitlyn. I'll tell you what I got in the morning. Night."

* * *

_Hello, readers. If I still have any._

_Terribly sorry for not updating in a while...a long while. I just got preoccupied and this story kept slipping my mind. However, I do have it completed now, and I will be uploading the rest today. I hope you enjoy it and I hope you can forgive me._

_TMNT-Raph-fan_


	6. Finding Solutions

Chapter 5: Finding Solutions

Kaitlyn stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. As long as she was in this condition she wasn't allowed in public. She sighed.  
"Kaitlyn, open up! You've been in there long enough!" Raph called from the other side of the door.  
"Geese, you don't have to be such a grump." Kaitlyn said as she exited the bathroom. Just then, Raph's shell cell went off. Kaitlyn answered it. "What ya got?"  
"Nothing." Don sighed, "I was up all night, but none of Doom's notes make sense to me. It's all in code."  
"Reed may be able to help."  
"With the current situation, that's easier said than done."  
"Why are you such a downer? April and I will think of something and get back to you." Kaitlyn and Don said their goodbyes and hung up.

...

April was just about ready to open up shop.  
"April." Kaitlyn called.  
"Morning Raph, er, I mean Kaitlyn." April said.  
"I think I have a clue to how I can reverse this body swap." Kaitlyn told her.  
"That's great." April said with a smile.  
"But I need Reed to decode Doom's notes."  
"Oh, that may prove difficult."  
"I know. I'd e-mail it to him, but than he'd question how I got it."  
"We could anonymously e-mail it to him."  
"And maybe get H.E.R.B.I.E. to help us."  
"That sounds like it would take too long." Raph chimed in, "I say we just go back to Doom's Castle and do what we did before."  
"That's too dangerous." Kaitlyn told him.  
"It wasn't when we went before." Raph said.  
"You don't know how to control my powers. You can be unpredictable and that makes it dangerous."  
"Ever since this body swap happened, your powers haven't been working."  
"In my experience, they always activate at the worst time."  
"Kaitlyn, someone's coming. You have to hide." April said, rushing Kaitlyn upstairs.  
Kaitlyn obeyed. She grabbed April's laptop and sat down on the couch. She began to type an e-mail to H.E.R.B.I.E., asking for his help, but found herself thinking about Raph's plan to return to the castle. She could always help him control her powers and it would be a fast solution. It was a risk, she knew, but she felt really uncomfortable with the whole body swap.  
"Hey Kaitlyn." She heard someone from downstairs. It sounded like ...  
"Oh, hi J.J." April said, loud enough for Kaitlyn to hear.  
'Oh no,' Kaitlyn thought, 'Raph!'  
"Hey, April." J.J. said. Kaitlyn moved up to the staircase so she could hear more clearly.  
"So Kaitlyn, the guys and I are heading down to the skate park and ..." J.J. began.  
"Sorry J.J., Kaitlyn has to, um, help me clean." April told him.  
"Ya," Raph said, trying to sound like Kaitlyn, "The place is a mess."  
"Oh, okay. Another time then." J.J. waved as he left the shop. April and Raph waved back. As soon as J.J. was out of earshot, Kaitlyn yelled down to Raph.  
"Raph, get up here!"  
"Geese, what's her problem?" He asked April as he ascended the stairs, "What?"  
"If it wasn't for April, you would've made a complete fool out of me." Kaitlyn told him, "I can't wait for H.E.R.B.I.E. or Reed. We're going back to the castle tonight."

...

The moon was full and illuminated the area nicely. Raph and Kaitlyn stood on a rooftop nearby Castle Doom.  
"We used my powers to get in last time." Kaitlyn said.  
"So we'll do that again." Raph was becoming impatient.  
"Do you know how to phase through solid objects?" Kaitlyn asked him.  
"No."  
"Then we need another plan."  
"Just show me how and we'll make this easy."  
"Fine. Try it with this wall. Imagine that it's not there and put your hand through it."  
Raph stared at the wall. Concentrating, he slowly moved his hands towards it. His hand made contact with the wall. He tried again with the same result.  
"Not as easy as it looks, is it?" Kaitlyn asked him.  
"Shut up." He said, without removing his hand. Suddenly, the wall seemed to vanish and Raph fell through. "Whoa!" He yelled, and realized he had phased through the wall. Looking back, he saw that his stomach was in the middle of the ledge. "Hey, I did it." He congratulated himself. He tried to sit up. "Ummm ..." He began, "I'm stuck."  
"Of course you are." Kaitlyn said as she grabbed Raph's shirt, "Think of something that makes you mad."  
"Why?" He asked.  
"Just. Do it." Kaitlyn growled, sounding more menacing with Raph's voice.  
Raph decided to listen and thought of a prank Mikey had pulled on him a few days ago, before all this craziness happened. Suddenly Kaitlyn pulled on his shirt and he phased back through the wall.  
"How did ..." Raph began.  
"I control my powers just by thinking about them. But you seem to use emotion." Kaitlyn explained.  
"So every time I get angry I'm gonna phase through something?" Raph asked, worried about his temper.  
"Just be glad you didn't phase through the floor." Kaitlyn said standing up, "Come on. We can enter the same way we did last time, now." She attached a rope to the edge of the building with a grappling hook and they climbed down to ground level. Making their way to the entrance point, they made sure not to be seen.  
"Here we are." Kaitlyn whispered to Raph, placing her hands on his shoulders, "Just do what you did before. I'll follow behind."  
Raph nodded and placed his hands on the wall. Once again he thought of Mikey's prank and walked through the wall.  
"Nice job. Let's keep moving." Kaitlyn told Raph and began in the direction of the lab. They found it easy and entered with caution. "Do you remember what you did last time?" Kaitlyn asked.  
"I remember leaning against that computer." Raph replied.  
"There has to be a hundred buttons," Kaitlyn sighed, walking up to the console, "Which one did you push?"  
"Like I remember. I didn't even see." Raph argued.  
There might be something in Doom's data files." Kaitlyn began searching for something related to body swapping, "There it is. He used it to try and take Reed's place once."  
"That's weird."  
Kaitlyn pushed the button to activate the mini bots. After a few seconds, they both felt a pain in the back of their neck.  
"This feels familiar ..." Raph said, before passing out.


	7. Busted

Chapter 6: Busted

Kaitlyn awoke, and for a moment, she couldn't remember what she was doing. Her eyes widened in realization as she sat up quickly. She glanced down and gasped a sigh of relief. She was in her own body again. She got to her feet and looked around for Raph. She saw him getting to his feet.  
"Raph!" She cried joyously, wrapping her arms around his neck, "We're ourselves again!"  
"Good for you." The slow, ominous tone sent shivers down Kaitlyn's spine. She and Raph turned to see Doctor Doom, with an army of doombots, standing in the doorway. His angry glare dug deep into the teens' skulls.  
"Maybe we should'a told your brothers." Kaitlyn whispered to Raph.  
"Would'a made things easier." He agreed.  
"Throw them in the dungeon for trespassing." Doom declared as he stalked away, not giving them a second thought. The doombots locked their sensors on the targets.  
"He's so rude and cocky." Kaitlyn huffed.  
"And that's his weakness." Raph told her, drawing his sais.  
"Can you keep them busy while I change?"  
"Oh yeah." Raph charged at the oncoming attack drones. Kaitlyn slipped behind one of the computers and opened the bag she made Raph bring. Inside was her Mystery costume. Moments later, Mystery jumped out from behind the computer bank with her sais in hand. She easily cut through the nearest doombot.  
"Been waiting long?" She asked Raph.  
"Feels like ya never left." He replied. Together they took down bot after bot, slicing them apart like scrap metal. All manner of robotic parts went flying in the air, until there were no working drones left.  
"That was surprisingly easy." Raph stated.  
"That's because Doom underestimated us." Mystery told him, "He does that to Kaitlyn all the time."  
"Hah! That was his first mistake."  
"We best go before he sends a bigger army."  
"I say let 'em come."  
"I thought you might," Mystery said, grabbing Raph's hand, "But we really need to get back, to let everyone know we're okay."  
Mystery led them out of the castle and Raph said nothing in protest.

...

"So no one knows where they are?" April was freaking out. She had climbed the staircase to find the apartment empty.  
"Last I heard she was going to talk to you." Don said.  
"Well, wherever they are, Raphael will be in much trouble when he returns." Splinter said in an angry tone.  
"You can say the same for Kaitlyn." April agreed, pacing the apartment. At that moment, the window, left of the TV, opened. Dressed in her Mystery garb and holding her mask in her hand, Kaitlyn stepped inside, but froze halfway through the window. April glared at her in disbelief, thinking it was still Raph inside her body.  
"Hi." Kaitlyn said, nervously, as she stepped fully into the room.  
"That's all you can say?" Master Splinter asked her.  
"Where's Kaitlyn!" April blurted, just before Raph entered the room. Before anyone could confuse the situation further, Kaitlyn quickly explained what happened.  
"We went back to Castle Doom to reverse the body swap, which we've succeeded in doing." Kaitlyn told them.  
"Well I'm glad you're back in your right body," April began, "But you shouldn't have gone off on your own like that!"  
"Especially in the condition you were in." Master Splinter added, "You should have known better."  
"Kaitlyn did say we should tell you. It was my idea to go ahead." Raph confessed, trying to take the blame.  
"Not surprising." Don muttered.  
"Raphy's always running off without permission." Mikey agreed.  
"But so is Kaitlyn." April stated, "She's as much to blame for sneaking out as Raph."  
"I bet you'd do the same if you switched bodies with a guy." Kaitlyn challenged.  
"Don't twist this around. You know what you did was wrong."  
"No one said we couldn't go to the castle."  
"True," Master Splinter spoke, "but it was still a foolish decision."  
"Not to mention a dangerous one!" April blurted.  
"I can take care of myself!" Kaitlyn screamed, "Besides, I've been in more dangerous situations than that before."  
"Same here." Raph chimed in. Master Splinter shot him a look and he decided it would be best to keep quiet.  
"Uhh! It's too late for this." April moaned.  
"We will continue the conversation and decide you punishments in the morning." Master Splinter said, heading to the door, "We will see you to-"  
Just then, a loud noise, similar to an alarm, sounded from the bedroom.  
"What the shell?" Don asked.  
"The distress call!" Kaitlyn gasped. She ran into the bedroom and grabbed her phone, which was the source of the sound. "It's Doom." She said, "He has the Fantastic Four."  
A girlish scream escaped Mikey's mouth, before he covered it.  
"Oh, Kaitlyn." April said, going over to give her a reassuring hug, "I'm sure they'll be fine. After all, they are the world's greatest heroes."  
"I can't just stand idly by, while my family is in danger. Kris could be there too, and he doesn't have powers." Kaitlyn whined.  
"She's right April. This could be serious." Leo agreed, "I think we should organize a prison break, ... together this time." He glanced over at Raph.  
"A chance to save the Fantastic Four? Count me in!" Mikey cheered.  
"I never did get a good look at Doom's lab last time. May as well tag along." Don said.  
"And you can never leave me out of a fight." Raph said, grabbing his fist in a punching motion. All five teens looked at April and Master Splinter for permission to go.  
"The Fantastic Four did send a distress call." Master Splinter said to April. She face palmed, knowing she was beaten.  
"Fine." She huffed, crossing her arms, "But don't think for one second you're off the hook." Kaitlyn smiled, put her mask on and followed the teen turtles out the window.


	8. Prison Break

Chapter 7: Prison Break

It was nearly midnight, but the five teens stood ready to fight. "Alright everyone, keep your comm. links open." Leo told them, "Don, once we get inside, your task is to find the monitor room to locate the Fantastic Four's whereabouts in the building."  
"Got it." Don accepted.  
"How do we get in this time?" Mikey asked.  
"Not through our previous entry." Mystery stated, "It's guarded by a doombot."  
"So, we'll just take it out." Raph said.  
"Doom's probably monitoring them all tonight because of his guests. If one goes offline, no doubt he'll know it." Mystery told him.  
"Doom doesn't have a lot of practice with ninjas, so being sneaky is probably our best advantage." Leo said. Looking through a pair of binoculars, Don searched for another entry.  
"On the third floor, there are two doombots circling the level on opposite sides. However, there's sixty seconds when the hall with the window is left unguarded." Don reported.  
"Then that's our opening." Leo decided.

...

Ten minutes later, the turtles and Mystery were scaling the side of the building towards the window. "Wait for it." Don said, counting the seconds in his head, "Now." Moving swiftly, they opened the window and climbed inside. Closing the window behind them, they jumped onto the beams near the ceiling, hidden in darkness. Moving through the shadows, they located the monitor room and Mystery phased them in. Lucky for them, Doom's ego kept the bots out of the monitor room. Don went over to the control panel and began looking through the rooms.  
"Try the dungeon." Mikey suggested.  
"How do you know if there's a-?" Don began. A dark room was seen on the screen. The Fantastic Four, along with Kaitlyn's twin brother, were being held in clear containment units, specially designed for their powers. There was a caption at the bottom of the screen: DUNGEON. Don glared at Mikey, who had a smug smile on his face.  
"Where's the dungeon located?" Leo asked.  
"Obviously in the - OW!" Mikey yelped, as Raph smacked him in the back of the head.  
"It's on the lower level." Don told them, smirking at Mikey. The team set out, once again moving through the darkness on the beams overhead.

...

They arrived at the doors of the dungeon, which was guarded by two large doombots. "Is it time to slice some doombots?" Raph asked quietly.  
"No." Mikey whispered, "Those bots are designed to fight the Thing. They'd end you in seconds."  
"Can we phase through the door?" Leo asked, keeping his volume low.  
"Not without being seen by one of the drones." Don informed them.  
"Then it looks like it's time for a distraction." Mikey said, jumping from the beam.  
"Mikey, wait." Leo whispered harshly, reaching for his brother. But it was too late. Mikey landed in front of the doombots, who saw him instantly.  
"Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto!" Mikey exclaimed, with the biggest grin on his face. As the doombots began to chase Mikey, he ran in the opposite direction, leading them away from his brothers and Mystery. The others waited to see if anyone else would respond to Mikey's crazy idea.  
"Well," Don said, after a moment, "That works."  
The four of them jumped down from the beams. Mystery phased partially through the door to see who was on the other side.  
"Doom's not there, but there are five doombots guarding the Fantastic Four and Kris. There in cells that, I think, counteract their powers." Mystery told them.  
"If I deactivate the cells, do you think they can get out of here okay? With Kris and all?" Don asked.  
"Definitely." Mystery said.  
"Then operation: Guardian Angel is underway." Leo told them.

...

Leo and Raph kept watch outside, while Mystery and Don snuck inside to find the controls. Lucky for them, half the room was shroud in darkness. They easily made their way to the controls.  
"Can you do it?" Mystery whispered.  
"Give me a minute to study the controls." Don whispered back.  
"Well, hurry. Who knows how long Mikey can keep it up."  
"Mikey can keep it going much longer than he needs to. Trust me." Don continued to study the controls as Mystery waited impatiently.

...

"Ben." Susan called from her cell, which was across from the Thing's, "Everything will be okay."  
"What if he goes after Kaitlyn?" The Thing asked Susan, pacing his cell.  
"That's highly improbable, Ben." Reed comforted his friend, "He doesn't even know where Kaitlyn is. He's not going to go through the trouble just to find her. The only reason he grabbed Kris is because he walked in at the wrong moment."  
"I know. You're always right, stretch." Ben said, "But I just can't help but worry."  
"That's understandable." Susan told him."  
"So, how are we getting out of here?" Johnny asked.  
"Yeah, I'm bored." Kris added.  
"I'm not sure. Reed?" Susan turned to Mister Fantastic. He held his hand to his chin, thinking.  
"These cells Doom designed are very-well made. I haven't found any flaws yet." Reed told Susan, sadly.  
"Well, I'm sure we'll get out of here soon." She said, positively. Just then, they heard a noise that sounded like something powering down.  
"What the-." Ben began.  
"Reed, what just happened?" Susan asked.  
"It appears the cells ability to counteract our powers has been deactivated." He said, stretching out of his cell.  
"'Bout time." Ben said, punching through his.

...

Don and Mystery watched as the Fantastic Four freed themselves and Kris, and took out the doombots. "Nice work, Don." Mystery congratulated her friend.  
"Thanks. Now let's follow to make sure they get out." He replied.

"Raph. Leo. We're following them out." Mystery spoke into her comm.  
"Copy that." Raph replied.

...

Waiting in the beams overhead, Leo turned to face his brother. "So." He began, "You and Mystery seem to be getting along."  
"Yeah. So?" Raph replied.  
"So, I thought you didn't like her."  
Raph didn't know what to say. He knew he and Mystery had been nicer to each other lately, but not even he knew why. Lucky for Raph, the Fantastic Four and Kris came bursting through the door. Don and Mystery followed soon after, and quickly leapt up onto the beams.  
"How's Mikey holding up?" Mystery asked.  
"I'm sure he's fine." Raph replied.  
"We'll let him know he can stop and meet up later." Leo told her. The five teens then headed after the other heroes.

...

"Hmm." Reed thought out loud.  
"What is it?" Susan asked him.  
"I don't understand why the cells malfunctioned like that."  
"Does it matter?"  
"It does if it's a trap."  
The five of them came to the door of Doom's throne room.  
"Kris, you'd better stay here and keep outta sight." Ben told his nephew.  
"Yeah right!" Kris yelled, "I can handle ol' metal mouth just fine!"  
Ben grabbed him from the back of his shirt and effortlessly carried him to safety.  
"No you can't." Ben told him. The Fantastic Four then entered the room, expecting the worst and hoping for the best.


	9. Final Battle

Chapter 8: Final Battle

Mikey had finally caught up with Mystery and his bros, and they were now watching the Thing carry Kris aside and enter Doom's throne room. "How do we follow them now, without being seen by Kris?" Mikey asked.  
"There's a ledge above the door." Leo pointed out.  
"If we make it over there, I can phase us through." Mystery told them. They all nodded in agreement and jumped across, landing stealthily on the ledge. Mystery phased them through and they froze in shock at what was on the other side.

...

The Fantastic Four once again prepared to do battle with Doom, as they stood in front of the largest group of doombots able to fit in a single room. "How is it possible that you escaped?" Doom bellowed.  
"You may want to check for bugs in the design. The cells completely malfunctioned." Reed told him.  
"Impossible!" Doom raged, and sharply pointed his finger at the four heroes, "Destroy them!" The doombots charged, but the Fantastic Four were without fear and leapt forward to meet them. Sparks crackled, parts flew and, one by one, the doombots fell, but the heroes efforts were in vein as the killer robots just kept coming.

...

"We have to do something." Mystery yelled above the noise.  
"What?" Mikey asked, "If we go down there, we'll be seen."  
"That's what throwing stars are for." Don said, matter-of-factly.  
"Excuse me?" Leo asked, confused.  
"Remember when we were fighting the shredders foot tech ninjas and I had those throwing stars that shorted them out?" Don asked.  
"Yeah." Leo replied.  
"Well, I brought a whole bunch with me." Don reached into his bag and pulled out a handful of electronic throwing stars. He handed some to everyone.  
"Well then," Leo said, pulling back his arm, "begin throwing."

...

The Fantastic Four continued to fight the doombots. Johnny flew overhead and torched them from above, Susan sliced them with her force field, Reed crushed them like a cobra and Ben just clobbered them. "Reed, this isn't working!" Susan yelled, "They just keep coming!" Just then, several doombots shorted out.  
"What the-?" Ben exclaimed, as more doombots began dropping like flies.  
"What is this!" Doom cried, "Reed! What have you done to my doombots?"  
Reed was so baffled by what was happening, he didn't even hear Doom's accusation.  
"Reed? Reed!" Susan called.  
"Huh?" Reed said, snapping out of his trance.  
"What's going on?" She asked him.  
"I don't know. It doesn't make any sense." The last doombot fell, sending its final sparks.  
"No! This isn't possible!" Doom cried.  
"For once I agree with Doom." Reed said. He went over to examine the doombots as his teammates contained Doom, who was not easy to surrender. He continued to fight back, making it difficult to hold him down.  
"Yo, stretch! We could use a hand here." Ben called out.  
"I'm coming!" Reed called back, pulling something out of one of the doombots, "Interesting."  
"Reed!" Susan yelled.  
"Alright." Reed pocketed the object and stretched his arms around Doom, making it easier for his teammates to keep him still.  
"No! You cannot defeat me!" Doom howled.  
"Hey, it was gonna happen eventually." Ben said.

...

Back on the roof across from Castle Doom, Mystery and the turtles watched as the Fantastic Four handed Doom off to the authorities. The sun rose in the background and Mystery stifled a yawn. "First sleepless night?" Raph asked her.  
"Yeah." She replied.  
"Don't worry. Ya get used to it."  
"Did I miss something here?" Mikey asked, "When did you two get so friendly?"  
Raph panicked, trying to think of what to say. Mystery just looked at Mikey, not understanding what the big deal was.  
"I guess we just got off on the wrong foot." She said with a shrug.  
"Nice to see you came around, Raph." Don said, "Usually when you don't like someone, you don't change your mind."  
"I guess Mystery's the exception." Mikey said with a smirk.  
Raph smacked him in the back of the head and he yelped. Once the Fantastic Four had left, the five teens headed back to April's.

...

The television was on, but April wasn't paying attention. Her five young friends had been gone for hours and she was beginning to worry. "The sun is rising. They could be seen." April panicked, "Or they've already been captured. They could be in trouble!"  
"They will be fine, miss O'Neil." Master Splinter comforted her, "They are a team."  
"Then why aren't they back yet?"  
"Honey, I'm home." A voice was heard behind her. April and Master Splinter turned to see Mikey climb through the window, followed by his brothers and Mystery. April breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Well?" She asked.  
"We successfully helped the Fantastic Four escape." Don told her.  
"Were you seen?" Their sensei asked.  
"No, Master Splinter." Leo replied.  
"Good. Now we should return to the lair to decide Raph's punishment for sneaking out earlier."  
"What?" Raph blurted, earning him a stern smack on the head with Master Splinter's cane. The turtles then followed their master out the window, after waving good-bye to April and Mystery.  
"I better head out too." Mystery said, removing her mask, "To make sure my family's okay." She went into the bedroom to change out of her costume.


	10. Realizations

Chapter 9: Realizations

Kaitlyn sat on the couch in the Baxter Building, watching the footage of the FF apprehending Doom on TV. "So, how was your weekend?" Ben asked her, walking up from behind.  
"Like none I've ever had." She told him, "I'm just glad you and the others are okay."  
"Nothin' we couldn't handle."  
'Not alone anyway.' She though.  
"Don't worry too much." Her Uncle told her, "Leave the superhero work to the superheroes."  
"I plan to." She said, smiling. Ben smiled back and headed in the direction of the kitchen, no doubt looking for something to eat. Kaitlyn turned her attention back to the TV, but she found herself thinking about the turtles. She thought about what Don said about Raph never changing his mind about someone. 'If that's true,' She thought, 'then why did he change his mind about me?" Just then, something cold shot down Kaitlyn's back, causing her to yelp. She spun around to see Kris, laughing. Kaitlyn jumped up and the ice cubes Kris had shoved down her back fell to the floor.  
"I'm gonna kill you!" She bellowed leaping over the couch. Kris bolted, knowing what the consequence would be if she caught him. The two teens ran past Sue.  
"Things never change." She sighed.

...

The day had passed and the sun was now setting. Mystery had gone out to get away from her brother. She stopped to watch the sunset and remembered all the times she had done so with her mom. She held her arms, protecting them from the cold night air.  
"You cold?"  
Mystery turned around to see Raph standing behind her. "A bit." She replied. Raph wrapped his arms around her. This startled Kaitlyn and she blushed slightly. "Thanks."  
"Just bring a sweater next time." He smiled. They stood on the rooftop for several minutes.  
"What changed?" Mystery asked, breaking the silence, "Why do you suddenly like me?"  
Raph was silent as she waited for his reply.  
"I guess I realized you weren't as bad as I thought." He finally said, "You're actually...pretty cool."  
Mystery blushed again, although she didn't know why. They stood there for a while longer.  
"Mystery?" Raph asked.  
"Yeah?" Mystery turned toward him. Raph was looking into her eyes. He slowly began to lean towards her, but paused, as if to ask for permission. Mystery made no protest. Raph continued forward and pressed his lips against hers. Mystery closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Raph's neck. The sun continued to set, but neither teen's were watching.

...

It was getting late, but Reed didn't seem to notice. He was too busy examining the object he found wedged in the Doombot.  
"What do you have there, Reed?" Susan asked, entering his lab.  
"An electronic throwing weapon." He replied, "It emits a strong electrical blast, which short-circuits any technology it comes into contact with."  
"That's great, Reed." Susan told him, "But what would you use it for?"  
"Oh, I didn't make. I found it embedded in one of the Doombots we were fighting earlier."  
"Really? That means someone else was there...and that someone has been watching us."  
"The question is 'who'?"

End

* * *

_Hello Readers,_

_I realize I totally set this up for a sequel, and I do plan on writing one, but not just yet. There are other fanfictions I am working on right now as well as other things. I plan to have another fanfic up by the end of this year, or sooner if I'm lucky and have zero writers block, but, until I'm done doing what I'm doing at the moment, there will be no 'Romance and Doom' sequel. My apologies._

_Plus, for those who have TMNT OCs who are paired with Raph, please don't hate. Just imagine this as an alternate dimension that does not affect your stories. We can all live together peacefully. :)_

_TMNT-Raph-fan  
_


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